Let It Go
by Daisy Chains and Growing Pains
Summary: (Prisoners, 2013 (Detective Loki)) "Look, kid, we can't always save the day. Aright? We're just cops. Janitors. So we lost this one, alright? Look you want fulfillment, you need to find a girl, you know, start a family, have some kids. Let it go."
1. Untouchabe

Wet.

In the small town, wet was just a daily description; wet, dark, and gloomy. Conyers rarely saw the sun peak from behind the clouds. The Pennsylvania town was lucky to see the sunshine in the summer months, but the heat would be so unbearable that most would stay inside, sitting idly by their air conditioning and watching TV, moaning about how much the rain was missed. Most days, some citizens would feel as if they lived in the Pacific Northwest instead of the East Coast. But for some, the dreary weather was all they knew.

The young detective held the handle of the black umbrella with a tight grip, hoping the wind wouldn't catch it and repeat the episode he endured last week as he briskly walked across the slick parking lot. Like he did every morning, he questioned why he had become the coffee mule, not remembering playing jockey to drink carriers being part of his 'fucking job description.' He also questioned why he didn't drive the extra half mile to the Starbucks drive-thru, but the taste and prices of the small coffee shop kept him coming back every morning. Funny stereotype about cops, coffee drinking was. Loki had never quite understood it until he became a cop himself; the long hours demanding infinite cups of straight black caffeine.

He folded the umbrella down, the bell ringing as he entered the small café. The young barista looked up from her position at the espresso machine, smiling from under her logoed ball cap, "Morning, Detective! The usual order?" she asked cheerfully. He nodded, offering a half smile in return. The barista labeled another cup with a bright red marker, "Let me finish up here and I'll get right on it."

"Alright," he said, settling himself into one of the overstuffed arm chairs, slipping his phone out of his raincoat pocket and idly filtering through his emails. He watched as the barista filled drink carriers on the pickup counter, the final amount reaching four paper caddies. "Ma'am?" the barista called.

The only other customer looked up from her magazine, standing to collect her drinks. Loki glanced up from his phone, only to find himself looking up again at the costumer. Her long, what he figured to be curly, hair was neatly woven into a braid, lilac colored scrubs hugging her small frame in an appealing way. He could only see her back. She was new to his daily trip to the café. He was used to seeing nurses and dental assistants come in and out, but her presence was a new one.

"Thank you," she said to the girl, dropping a few bills into the tip jar. She hesitated a moment, he could see the cogs turning as she devised her plan of attack on how the gather the carriers.

"Do you want help out?" the barista asked.

"No," the woman said, her voice high and clear like a bell, "That's alright, I'll find a way. Thank you." She slid one off the counter, "I'll just take two trips." The barista had gone off to fill his order, leaving the blonde on her own. She continued to struggle. Loki stood, placing his due amount next to the register, "Just leave it on the counter," he instructed the barista, who just nodded. He took two of the nurse's carriers, "Let me help you out."

She turned to face him, big blue eyes boring into his own. She smiled, "Thank you,"

He returned her smile, trying not to focus on her pretty face. Sky eyes, freckles across the nose, wispy curls that poked out from under her light pink cotton headband. He was not one for dumb clichés, or to fawn over pretty women, but she reminded him of the animated princess from the Disney movie released a few years ago that he had seen commercials for on TV; the blonde one with the long hair and the frying pan. She looked familiar on a personal level, also. Someone that he just couldn't put a name too. "I'm parked just out front. The white Prius." She informed him.

She watched as his gaze drifted out the front windows, a twinkle of disappointment in his eyes as he realized how close she was parked to the building. He was handsome, probably a full half a foot taller than her, his dark hair slicked back. She searched his body for identification, hoping to find his name, remembering the barista had called him detective. He was dressed in rather plain business wear; a white button up under his black raincoat, black dress pants, and black work boots. A dark shape peered over the collar of his shirt; a strange eight-pointed star of sorts. His badge glinted on his waist. "I'm Elizabeth, by the way, Elizabeth O'Malley." she said, reached her petite hand out, "My dad is actually the police captain here in town."

It hit him, Captain O' Malley; the same eyes that had stared and cursed at him front across his office smiled warmly from the girl's face. _Untouchable,_ his head screamed, _she's untouchable!_ He took her hand, giving it a firm shake, "Detective Loki. I know your father all too well."

"I figured, you being a detective."

He chuckled and motioned to the door, the nurse to walk in front of him. He pushed the door open, holding it for her as she walked out, "I haven't seen you around before," he commented, mentally kicking himself for what sounded like a very creepy comment. Small talk wasn't normally the quiet man's forte. He usually kept to himself, his head down and focused on his work.

She slid a carrier on top of the car, retrieving her keys from her purse and unlocking her car, "I just got transferred to the hospital here, actually." He helped her load the carriers into her passenger seat, "I'm from Philly actually. Well, I'm from here, went to college in Philly," she explained, "And my coworkers decided to make the new girl Coffee Gopher." She retreated from the rain up under the overhang of the building, standing across from the detective.

Loki laughed lightly, a sound Elizabeth enjoyed. "Yeah, I know how that story goes." His eyes found the id badge holder clipped to her scrub pocket, reading the swirly writing on the button shaped clip, "Emergency, huh?"

She pulled her braid over her shoulder, smiling. Loki drew his hand through his hair nervously; Elizabeth caught the strange double blink of his clear blue eyes. A tic, perhaps? She brushed it to the side, finding him only more intriguing. "Yes." She said sweetly.

"You don't seem like one for a whole lot of action," he instantly regretted his word choice, "I mean,"

"It's okay, I get that a lot." She said, "No, I appreciate the thrill. Keeps me on my feet. I'm sure your job is the same, Detective?" she asked, her big doe eyes catching his.

Another double blink. "Yeah."

He glanced inside, a single drink carrier waiting for him. He found himself debating whether or not to tear himself away, the nurse so incredibly captivating his attention, only with a few minor lines of small talk. She noticed his glance into the café, offering another smile, "Well, I should be letting you go, Detective. I need to be getting back to the hospital to finish my shift, and you surely must be getting to your job." She wiped the rain from her brow, annoyed slightly by the presence of rain clouds in late October.

He ran his hand across his face, cupping it over his mouth for a moment before dropping it to his side, nodding, "Yeah."

"Thank you again for your help,"

"Of course," he offered a half smile, "See you 'round."

She smiled, opening her car door, "See you around."

He turned back towards the entrance, her tires squelching against the wet asphalt. He pushed the encounter with the town's new resident out of his mind, chalking it up to just another part of his job; being a help to his community. He collected his umbrella, not noticing how wet he was from his short conversation outside until he picked up the tray, his wet fingers leaving water stains on the cardboard. And with that, he returned to the unmarked black Crown Victoria. He caught a glimpse of the nurse's taillights as she turned out of the parking lot on to the main road, wondering if her face would surface again amongst the gray.

* * *

The old cart clanged as Elizabeth dropped her purse into the children's seat. There wasn't much in Conyers, as she discovered upon moving here a month ago. The town Safeway had become a familiar stop to her after her 12 hour shift in the emergency room. She enjoyed the hospital, the days normally leisurely, only a few patients here and there. Nothing extravagant, a few broken bones and work injuries.

She milled through the aisles, picking up an occasional product. She often questioned why she went to the great lengths of cooking for herself and hadn't turned to the dark side of microwave dinners. She was normally by herself, minding the occasional girlfriend who stopped by for a few glasses of wine and the latest gossip or her parents and siblings stopping by. Her mother was amazed that at 26 (going on 27), she still lived alone without a significant other, or at least a man who she was seeing. Her family was truly the only reason she had taken the position at the hospital, hoping to build her relationships with her nieces and nephews and be closer to her father; being a Daddy's Girl at heart.

She picked a box of crackers off the shelf, her focus on her small list as she pushed her cart down the aisle, her attention elsewhere. She didn't find herself back to Earth until her cart collided with another, it giving her a jolt as metal clashed against metal. "Sorry!" she started with her apologies, pulling her cart back and looking to the other shopper. The handsome detective from earlier smirked back at her, "No, my fault," he said, "I should have been watching."

She smiled, "So we meet again," she giggled.

He chuckled, "I guess," Elizabeth scanned over the contents of his carts; frozen meals and a container of blueberries, along with a case of water tucked under the cart. He scanned hers also, "Whatta making?" he asked.

"What?" her attention snapped back, "Oh, spaghetti. Keeping it easy tonight."

Another double blink, he laughed, "You call that easy? I can hardly heat an oven bake pizza," he joked.

Elizabeth giggled, "Oh, it's not that hard," she sighed, up righting her jostled purse. Loki stared at the girl, enjoying the sound of her laugh. He studied her features; a single curl had escaped her headband, falling in her eyes, and he felt the strange urge to brush it back into her braid. His eyes grabbed to the few bags of candy in her cart, "Oh shit, its Halloween Wednesday." He commented, rubbing the back of his neck. He had forgotten about the holiday a mere four days away. He felt as if he was trespassing; this girl was his boss's daughter. She couldn't be attractive.

Elizabeth had noticed that he wasn't one for small talk, his posture uncomfortable and awkward. She found him charming, "Yeah. Do you have any plans? You and your family?" She didn't notice a wedding ring, much to her pleasure, only a gold ring on his pinky engraved with an undeterminable symbol. She found this the most discreet way to question his availability. It wasn't often she found herself in the company of a handsome, yet nervous, police detective.

He shook his head, much to her enjoyment, "No. Just me. I'll be on call more than likely, but I'll be home, I guess." He pulled his cart to the side out of the way of other shoppers trying to pass by, "You?" He was amazed; he stood there with a complete stranger and talked to her like an old friend. It was completely abnormal for him. She also shook her head, explaining to him how she would probably be at home, handing out candy to trick-or-treaters, "A pretty shitty day for a birthday, too, I guess. My siblings will be wrapped up with their little ones and most of my friends have kids, and my old man will be down at the station also." She laughed.

He offered a small smile, "I'm sorry to hear that,"

A mousy old woman passed by the twosome, "Excuse me," she muttered, glaring at Elizabeth from under thick, outdated brown plastic glasses.

Elizabeth touched the woman's shoulder, apologizing quickly. Loki glanced down at his watch, noticing how late the hour grew; 8:45. Realizing he had become a road block, he looked up at Elizabeth, "I should be going. It's getting pretty late."

Elizabeth felt a wave a disappointment wash over her, _What's wrong with you?_ She asked herself, _You just met him. He works with Dad, for Christ's sake. _"I should let you go." She agreed.

David wrapped his fingers around the cart's handle, hoping she would ask another question and force him to stay a little longer. "See you 'round," he said softly, offering another double blink and kind smirk.

"See you around," she repeated, working her way down the aisle. He turned his back, continuing to the opposite side of the store.

"Detective Loki!"

He turned, the blonde nurse striding towards him. He raised his eyebrows inquisitively, urging her to speak. She giggled a bit, staring down at her white trainers and tugging her braid over her shoulder. Rapunzel? Was that the princess? Yeah. "I, um," she looked up, her eyes locking on his, "I didn't catch your first name."

He chuckled, "David."

"Nice to meet you David, I'm Elizabeth."


	2. Hydrangeas

David watched the rain pour down outside the windows of his car, rivulets of rain trailing down the windshield. Inside of the café, it was busier than usual, a Monday morning creating a rush in the small shop. People bustled about, the door opening and closing, men and women rushing to their cars to find themselves safe from the rain. He had parked closer to the door this morning, but the familiar white car was absent. He shook his head, turning the car off and stepping outside. What did it matter? He had spoken to the girl twice; short conversations of meaningless small talk with a pretty girl. He pushed the image of his captain's daughter out of his mind, chiding himself for spending a few extra minutes in front of the mirror this morning. He had smoothed his hair frivolously, endlessly checked his teeth for remnants of that morning's breakfast, all because he knew he might have a chance of running into her at the coffee shop.

He ducked into the warm building, the bitter smell of coffee grinds floating in the air. He enjoyed the mornings that he didn't have to be in until 10, not that he nabbed the chance of extra sleep at all. Yet, he was able to move at a leisurely pace and give up his coffee jockey responsibilities for the morning.

The line was longer this morning, five people waiting ahead of him. He let out an annoyed sigh, but realized that he in fact had nowhere to go and settled into the slow pace. He let his mind stray to a solved auto-theft case from a couple weeks back, remembering the victim's car being a white Prius also. His mind veered, scattering and piecing back all of the parts of that case. After a while they had become like jigsaw puzzles to him, pieces he could click together in his head. He must have been caught up in his thoughts, not noticing the gentle clicking of heels walking up behind him.

"Good morning,"

He glanced behind him, sky eyes looking up at him. He offered another smile, Elizabeth ignoring the way her heart bounced in her chest when he smiled at her. "Morning," he said softly. She wasn't in scrubs this morning; a little floral dress under a cardigan, paired with tall boots taking the lilac scrubs place. "Not working this morning?"

She shook her head, curls bouncing around her thin face, "I have the week off. I work Sunday to Sunday, a week on and a week off," she explained. She looked around him, pointing, "You're up, Detective."

He looked behind him, realizing that the barista was waiting on his order, "Oh," he muttered, ordering his usual drink.

"Go ahead and charge me for that," Elizabeth said to the barista, reaching into her purse for her wallet.

"What?" Loki argued, "No, that's alright."

"Oh please," she pushed past him, ordering something smothered in caramel and pumpkin, handing the barista her credit card, "Let me pay, I owe you for yesterday."

David didn't argue. He just shook his head. "Thanks."

Elizabeth offered him another glowing smile, "Don't mention it."

Their drinks came out rather quickly, David handing hers to her before picking up his own. He noticed her eyes flicking from the rain outside to a table by the fireplace, obviously debating whether or not to stay a while. "Do you want to sit?" he asked quickly, "For a while, you know, with me?" His eyes blinked wildly as he ran his hand over his face. He wanted to die of embarrassment; he felt like such an idiot.

She giggled softly, nodding, "Yeah," she met his eyes, "I'd like that."

They took their seats across from each other, David looking down at his coffee. This wasn't normal for him, to share time with a pretty girl. He usual lived and breathed his job. He had devoted himself and worked hard to gain the position he had today; his focus not leaving him much time for dating, or a social life for that matter. It was probably also the reason he could count his friend circle on both hands, and almost all of them also doubling as coworkers.

Elizabeth gripped her coffee cup, breaking the silence, "So, are you not working today either?"

David leaned into the back of the chair, "Yeah, actually. But I don't need to go in until closer to ten."

She took a sip of her drink, "I bet my dad is a real treat to work with," she scoffed, rolling her eyes.

David chuckled, rubbing his eyes, "Oh you have no idea."

She pushed her curls back, her smile widening, "Oh but I do!"

"He's not too bad," David shrugged, "We clash every once in a while. And he'll send me on the stupidest shit." Elizabeth raised her eyebrows, urging him to go one with a smile that seemed to have never left her face the entire morning. "My very first case as a detective, he gave me this statement from a little old lady claiming that her neighbor stole her hydrangea bushes." Elizabeth snorted back a laugh, David shooting her an amused smile, "Her son put her in a home shortly after that case."

Elizabeth burst into a short fit of laughter, "That's terrible!" she shook her head, "That sounds like Dad's sense of humor though. That sucks, I'm really really sorry that my dad is such an ass and ruined your first case," they were both laughing. David couldn't remember the last time he had laughed like that over a conversation, enjoying himself for the first time in a while.

David swirled around the contents of his cup, "O'Malley talks about his kids all the time, but I always thought he had-,"

"Two sons and a daughter?"

"Yeah. Anthony, Carol, and-,"

"Eli?" she finished, nodded, a slight annoyance about her, "Yeah, that's his nickname for me. I always hated it. Dad calls me Eli, Mom calls me Lizzy." She sighed.

David leaned forward, "What do you prefer?"

She smiled. No one had ever asked her that. Most fed off her parents; the occasional Eli with different variations of Lizzy. She had lived the majority of her teenage years hating the given nicknames. She chewed her bottom lip, "Ellie." She said, "I like Ellie."

"Okay, Ellie."

He enjoyed the smile that graced her face, even more so enjoying the nickname that rolled so easily off his tongue. "Do you have family close by?" she asked.

He instantly retreated, slowly shaking his head. The glow in her eyes dimmed, her smile depleting, "No," he said, "My dad walked out on my mom and I when I was a baby. My mom though, she died when I was five. Then it was foster home jumping. None of them are anything worth visiting though." He felt a warm heaviness in his right hand, realizing Elizabeth had slipped her small hand over his, giving it a tight squeeze.

"I'm sorry you went through that." She said quietly.

David didn't pull away from her hand. Just sat slightly in awe, staring down at her thin pretty fingers, her pointer finger decorated with a simple thin gold band. She inspected the little symbols etched into his knuckles, curious of the meanings, along with the star on his neck. She pulled her hand away, realizing how long she had left it there, slightly embarrassed. David slid his hand back, clearing his throat. He shrugged, "Eh, I'm not losing any sleep over it," he halfheartedly wanted to take her hand again, "I'm sure you see some crazy shit in the ER too,"

She was thankful for the subject change, pushing her hair behind her ear and taking a sip of her drink, "Not too much. The town is pretty small, so it's pretty relaxed. A lot of broken bones and asthma attacks," David nodded, watched her trace the ring the bottom of the cup had left on the table. A bright pinging sounded and Elizabeth scrambled through the contents of her bag, "I'm so sorry," she mumbled, unlocking her phone and responding to the text.

"It's fine," he responded. His eyes wandered from her hands to her face, noticing every little detail; how her eyelashes curled, the natural pinkness to her cheeks, the small crescent shaped scar above her lip, the rhinestoned gold cross the hung around her neck. Her eyebrows wrinkled, an air of mild frustration surrounding her as her thumbs danced across the screen. "Sorry," she mumbled again. She clicked and locked her phone, her attention back to Loki, "My brother and his ex are divorced and she fought like hell to have partial custody of the kids, but I seem to have the kids on her days more than she does," she explained, biting her lip. "So it looks like I," she snatched her keys out of her purse, "Have to pick up my nephew from my mom's and take him to school." She exhaled sharply from her nose, her face breaking into a disappointed smile, "See you around?"

David offered a small smile back, "See ya 'round."

And with that, she disappeared into the gloomy landscape yet again.

* * *

Kids were never his strong suit.

You could sit him in front of a rapist, a thief, murderer, kidnapper; you name it, and he would break from his chains, exuberant and animated. But as he sat in front of O' Malley's desk, eyes locked with the small dark haired boy, he had never imagined that he could feel so damn vulnerable. How fucking old was this kid? Five? Six? David popped his knuckles and cleared his throat, trying to break the awkward silence as the little jackass stared him down from behind his grandfather's desk.

David blinked.

The boy clicked a pen.

David leaned back.

The boy leaned forward.

_Fuck this_, David thought, _I have shit to get done. Not babysit._ He started to rise from his seat when the boy broke the haunting silence.

"Are you a cop?"

David lowered himself back down, "No, I'm a detective."

"You don't look like a detective."

"Yeah."

"What's that on your neck?" the child pointed at Loki's tattoo.

David cleared his throat, O'Malley stepping in the room quietly, "It's a tattoo." He said, his explanation blunt.

"Dad says that tattoos are for white trash." O'Malley tried to hide his laughter behind his hand.

David rolled his eyes, "Aren't you supposed to be at school?"

"My mom has tattoos and dad says that makes her a trashy who-."

"Aunt Eli is here!" O' Malley loudly announced, cutting the boy off and sweeping him into his arms. David's ears perked up, standing quickly to watch the petite blonde race into the office. She took the boy from her father with such ease, hiking him onto her hip.

"Hey kiddo," she smiled, pressing a exaggerated kiss to his cheek, "Ready for school?"

"Grandpa said I don't have to go to school!" he giggled in jubilee, reaching back for his grandfather. Ellie shot her father a look, blue eyes narrowed. He simply shrugged, allowing the child to scurry back to his desk and continue coloring in the printed off coloring pages that O'Malley must have found on the internet.

"But Hunter," Elizabeth said slowly, her father interrupting and taking responsibility for the child. Elizabeth shook her head, her eyes finally catching Loki and recognizing his presence. "Hey," she spoke, a small smile creasing her face.

"Hey,"

O'Malley's head snapped up at the sound of the exchange, "You know each other?" His eyes were dangerous, locked on Loki. He ran his fingers through his hair, the captain's eyes locking on his. Elizabeth broke the silence, "We met at the coffee shop, in town Daddy. David helped me carry coffee out to my car yesterday."

O'Malley's eyes never left the detective, "Yeah, that's great. Um, Honey? You mind taking Hunter out to the kennels? He's dyin' to see the dogs."

Elizabeth nodded and collected the young boy, offering David another smile, too which he returned. The door clicked behind her, "Don't fucking do that," O'Malley snapped, Loki's smile dropping and hard blink taking its place. "My fucking baby girl? Yeah punk? Try that shit, I dare you."

David threw up his hands in protest, "Hey, I just met the girl. Showing her a bit of fuckin' kindness."

The graying man pointed a long finger between the eyes of the younger man, his lips pressed in a tight line, "I'm fuckin' warning you, Kid. Touch my baby girl and I will end you," he drew out the words of his threat.

Loki rolled his eyes, exiting the office, "Fine, shit, I don't want to be ended, whatever the fuck that means," He shut the door behind him. The glare of the captain still burned at the back of his neck as Elizabeth wandered through the office, nephew in arms.

_Like a dog pissing on the hydrant just to spite the fire._

"Hey, Elly. You like Chinese?"


	3. Late

They met for lunch twice in that week, on Monday and Tuesday. The pretty young waitress recognized the cars as they pulled into the rain slick parking lot, usually the black Crown Victoria slipping into the spot closest to the door five minutes prior to the white Prius. The waitress had memorized their orders, not even bothering to drop by their table once they had sat down together. The detective was a regular customer, the blonde a new face. They didn't get much business these days though. The food was decent; average Americanized Chinese dishes with a questionable after taste. One of those family owned joints, with the paper placemats that told you what Chinese Zodiac animal matched your birth year and the phone always rang but no one ever answered. It was quiet though, and in the little time they had spent together, Elizabeth was growing comfortable with the quiet.

That Tuesday night, David pulled into the parking spot closest to the door. They decided at lunch to meet for dinner that night. David usually spent his days at the station, slipping through a fast food drive thru before going home to his quiet apartment. The past few days were an oddity to him. The first outing was rather awkward, with forced conversation and long pauses. He didn't expect her text the next morning requesting to see him again. Dates weren't really his thing, hell, casual conversation wasn't his thing. But they agreed to 7. But, in the little time they had spent together, David was growing to understand that, that to Ellie, that meant 7:10.

It seemed to always be raining in Conyers. Wet. Always wet. David stared ahead at the droplets of rain water racing down his windshield, fingers drumming against the steering wheel absentmindedly. The waitress had already noticed his car, dipping into the kitchen to speak to the cook. Loki picked at a piece of lint on his shirt sleeve, discarding it with a flick of his fingers onto the carpeted floor. He couldn't help but chuckle; look at him, trying so damn hard. She was just a fucking girl, after all. Had him completely out of sorts. Hell, he wasn't even sure if he was in to him. Being a 29 year old detective was almost unheard of. And along with that came a lot of drive, a lot of nose to the grindstone hard work. He was used to working alone and for himself. Fuck, he was used to being alone in general.

The white car pulled into the spot next to him. David glanced at the digital clock on his dash, 7:12. He rolled his passenger window, Elizabeth rolling hers down, some bright techy pop music floating out of her car. "You're late," he called at, a smirk pulling at his lips.

She let out a chaste laugh and rolled her eyes, sticking out her tongue and rolling her window back up. He chuckled, turning the car off and slipping out into the rain. Elizabeth gathered her purse from the passage seat, reaching for the door, her fingertips barely brushing against the handle as it swung open, David standing behind it. She smiled, stepping out into the rain and allowing him to shut her door behind her. "Hey," he uttered, Elizabeth crossing in front of him to get out of the rain.

"Hey," she opened the door to the restaurant, David kicking himself for not getting there first, "I haven't seen you in forever."

"Yeah, it's been what? A full seven hours?" he joked. He and Elizabeth slid into their respective seats, the waitress bringing out a silver pot of hot tea. They both ordered the same meals as the previous meeting, turning to each other as she walked off. He filled her in on the rest of his day, making small talk back and forth.

"So," Elizabeth leaned forward, resting her elbows on the table, her chin propped against her balled fists, "Do you have anything planned for tomorrow?" she asked.

David smiled, leaning forward onto his elbows, "You tell me."

She pulled the paper wrapper off of her straw, tossing it into the plastic cup of ice water the waitress had dropped off at their table. She pulled the tube of paper through her fingers, sharpening the crease before twisting it around her pointer finger, "I was thinking that instead of eating shitty Chinese for a fourth time this week," she crumpled the paper into a ball, "You could come over tomorrow night. Let me make you dinner, watch scary movies, ya know," she sent the paper ball flying and giggling when in bounced off of Loki's chest, "The whole nine yards."

Mentally, Loki did a little dance, but instead of relaying those same internal emotions, he said, "You sure? I mean, 27 is a big birthday."

She rolled her eyes, "Of course I'm sure. C'mon, it'll be fun."

David nodded, "Yeah, sure."

Elizabeth smiled. David took a sip of his coffee. Their food came. They ate in silence.

David looked up at her from across the table. Her eyes were down, her brow wrinkled in concentration as she did her best to scrap fried rice onto her fork. He breathed in the sight of her, her long curls gathered into a tight bun on the top of her head, her eyelids painted in neutral tones and her eyelashes a sticky black, her sharp collarbones peeking out from the v-neck of her sweater. Her features were so soft; girlish. She really was very pretty. He didn't realize how long he had been looking until she looked up, her eyes catching his before he glanced down at the table. She tried to suppress a smile, her lips pressed together in a tightlipped smile, "What?"

"Nothing."

"What are you looking at, Detective?"

"Nothing, O'Malley."

She shook her head, looking back down. She brought her fork to her lips, her eyes widening like she had forgotten something, "Oh,"

"What?"

"How do you feel about dogs?"

* * *

Hello all!

I apologize for the long hiatus followed by a short chapter! I'm going to try to update this story at least once a week, if my college schedule allows for that to happen. Thank you all so much for the follows/favorites/reviews... I hope you all enjoy and I look forward to hearing your feedback.

With love. -DCAGP


	4. Burned

The little curly haired dog yawned widely, resting his sweet head upon his crossed paws. He stared forward from his spot on the sectional, knowing damn well he shouldn't be up there, but his Person never seemed to mind unless her parents were over. Quincy watched as his Person moved around the kitchen, the radio on the TV turned up loud. She was still in her running clothes, her hair pulled into a ponytail under a bright orange hat. She was dancing around to the twangy music that floated through the kitchen, pulling open the refrigerator's doors and reaching in. Quincy stood up, shaking the sleep out of his joints and plopping down off of the couch. If the fridge was open, Person was going to drop something. And Quincy never minded a people snack.

He made his way towards the kitchen, placing himself right next to Person's feet. This way, he would be ready to strike once his snack hit the group. Person seemed to enjoy it, she was always talking to him when he did.

Elizabeth pushed the mini labradoodle to the side with her foot, "Quincy, don't sit under me," she huffed. Damn dog was always under her feet. He closed the distance again, gluing himself to her feet yet again. She pulled the few things she needed from the fridge, tossing a slice of cheese on the tile for the little pup. He swiped it up, carrying his goodie into the living room to devour in private. Elizabeth tossed a portion of a chicken breast into a pan, straining pasta as it browned. It was 7:30. David would be there at 8. She had gotten sidetracked on her run, stopping to say hello to a woman she worked with who was out on her porch, and then being roped in to come see her Halloween decorations. And after a birthday phone call with her mother, _("Oh my, Lizzie, you're having a boy over?_) she was thoroughly behind schedule. She checked the chicken, turning it over before she raced upstairs and into her bedroom, undressing and tripping over Quincy as she did so. She tore off her running leggings and long sleeve, shaking out her hat hair and giving her underarms a quick sniff. She grabbed body spray from her bathroom vanity, flushing away the smell of sweat with vanilla. As she tugged on a pair of jeans and a sweater, rushing to fix her makeup, and, all hell broke loose; the doorbell rang.

Quincy had the announcement that someone was, in fact, at the door, erupting into a fit of half-howling-half-barking that put Elizabeth's teeth on edge. She stood up from the stool in front of her vanity, her heart racing a little. "He's early," she said, Quincy barking in agreement.

As she strode to the door, she gathered her hair up into a mound of curls on the top of her head, securing it with an elastic. She stood in front of her door, pausing for a moment and taking a deep breath before swinging the door open, sucking her stomach in and smiling.

"Trick or treat!"

Elizabeth let the breath she was holding go with a soft _whush_. In her doorway stood a witch, a vampire, and Dorothy. She kept her smile, scooping Quincy up into her arms and distributing candy to the kids. They turned and ran down her driveway, nearly running over a man in a dark colored shirt in the process. The sudden burst of motion sent the motion sensors on her garage doors off, illuminating David in the process. He smiled, not dressed in his usual button down and slacks. He was dressed casually in a black long sleeve, dark jeans hugging his lower body rather attractively. Elizabeth wasn't bind, he was very attractive. She smiled back, "Happy Halloween,"

David closed the distance between her driveway and front door, raising in one hand a bouquet of sunflowers and daisies, "Happy birthday, O' Malley,"

"Oh David," she said, accepting the flowers as he stepped into the small two story, "These are lovely. Thank you."

He slipped his shoes off, kicking them next to the door, "Of course." Quincy, excited to see a new face in the house, jumped up and pressed his front paws against David's calves, balancing himself on his hind legs and yapping.

"Oh I'm sorry about him," Elizabeth said, smiling down at the flowers as she searched through her kitchen cabinets for a vase, "That's my Quincy. He's a bit of a pest."

David crouched down, scratching the pup behind his ears and accepting the wet kisses all over his hands. Elizabeth turned his back to him, filling the pitcher she had found in the sink, "So did you find the house alright? I'm sure the hundreds of kiddos didn't help," she chattered on about how busy the streets were, clipping the stems of the flowers to make them fit in the pitcher. She only stopped when David stood up, interrupting her.

"Hey, uh, Ellie? Is something burning?"

Elizabeth dropped the scissors she was wielding into the sink, turning sharply to face the stove. "Oh no," she muttered as she pulled the pan off the burner, switching it off quickly and erupting into a fit off laughter. David looked at her quizzically, stepping into the kitchen to find out what was so damn funny. "No," she drew out between giggles, tilting the pan towards David to showcase the blackened chicken, "I burned dinner."

David laughed, picking the dog up and rubbing his ears, "Ah fuck," he chuckled, "I guess I might as well go home."

Elizabeth swatted his shoulder, "Screw you," she dumped the blackened bits into the garbage bag under the sink, placing the pan in the sink, "I guess we'll just order pizza or something. Fuck, I was really hoping we wouldn't eat out tonight."

David shrugged, trying to save his chin from Quincy's tongue, his eyes blinking hard, "I guess you'll just have to redeem yourself another night."

"Oh I'm redeeming myself now?" she said with an eye roll, uncorking a bottle of wine.

"I mean," he set Quincy down, taking the glass of red Elizabeth held out to him, "We can't all be gorgeous and great at cooking. Something's gotta give."

Elizabeth lifted her glass to her lips, trying to hide her grin at his word choice. She felt like Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer in that cheesy Christmas movie she watched as a kid, _"he thinks I'm cuteeee_._"_ David held his glass out to hers, "To 27?"

She liked this more relaxed David she was seeing tonight. She touched her glass to his, "To 27."

They both brought their glasses to their lips, leaned up against the kitchen counter. For the first time, Elizabeth noticed how striking the young detective's eyes were. His bright crystal blues bore into hers and she felt a weird pull in her stomach. Her hair started to deflate from the quick bun she had thrown it in, sinking down slowly. A curl fell out of the mound, brushing against her check. David took a step forward, closing the short distance between them. He reached out, brushing the stray curl back and tucking in behind her ear. A hard double blink. _Oh my god,_ Elizabeth thought, _I really shouldn't do this. He works with Dad. He works with Dad. Why is he getting closer? Holy shit._

David's heart raced. Fuck, again she was throwing him off. _You really shouldn't do this,_ he thought,_ She's your captain's daughter. What the fuck are you doing?_

And again, the doorbell rang. Quincy came flying out of the living room, racing towards the door and announcing the arrival of newcomers. Elizabeth released another breath she didn't know she was holding. She didn't realize how close he was to her. "I should get that," she whispered. David nodded, his eyes locked on her lips. What the fuck was wrong with him? Why was he acting like this? This was a dangerous game he was getting himself into. A gorgeous, kind, caring girl from a normal family with a normal life who happens to be his boss's kid. He couldn't be treading in shittier waters.

Elizabeth broke away from him, half-walking-half-running to the door. She pulled the elastic out of her hair, opening the door to a chorus of young girl's voices. Two little girls stood on her door step, the little blonde dressed as one of the princesses from the upcoming Disney movie about the two sisters she saw advertised, the little African American girl she recognized as Quincy's veterinarian's daughter dressed up as Princess Tiana from a movie her niece watched constantly (and a super cute Tiana, to boot). She complimented the girl's costumes, tucking a few extra pieces of candy into their bags and wishing them a happy Halloween. She closed the door, the two girls skipping off down her driveway. Quincy skittered from the kitchen back into the living room, his nails clicking against the hardwood. She wrapped her arms around herself, rubbing her arms in hopes to warm herself up. This October was rather cold, and the quick opening of the door let in a flash of cold air. She exited her entry way, finding David on her couch, their glasses and bottle of wine set on the coffee table. Quincy had made himself comfortable in the newcomer's lap, David sifting through the stack of horror DVDs Elizabeth had pulled out. Elizabeth picked up her class, settling into the couch beside him. She kept a safe distance, tucking her feet underneath her and taking a sip from her glass. "Find anything?"

David raised a case from the pile, "Nightmare on Elm Street? Classic. Haven't seen this in forever."

She smiled, raising an eyebrow, "Shall we start with that?"

"You tell me, birthday girl." Another double blink.

She motioned to the DVD player, David rising to put in the disk. Once he settled, Quincy taking place in his lap again, Elizabeth found herself staring. Quincy pushed his face between David's hands, David leaning back and settling into the couch cushions. Unlike the collars of his button ups, the long sleeve tee allowed Elizabeth to see the tattoo on his neck in its entirety. The cotton fabric hugged his torso attractively, allowing her to infer that the young detective was rather in shape under the thin shirt. He stared forward at the TV, petting Quincy, focused on the movie. For a guy who told her that he didn't much care for dogs, he was surly a fucking liar. The tattoo, however, flirted with her curiosity. The strange eight point star, an indiscernible and long faded symbol in the center. He felt her stare on his neck, turning to face her. He raised his eyebrows, a smirk gracing his handsome face. A double blink. "What are you lookin' at, O'Malley?"

She took another sip from her glass, reaching forward to fill it again, "Your tattoo," she tapped her neck lightly, "What's the meaning behind it?"

He rubbed the faded tattoo, smiling sheepishly, "Ah yeah, it's the Star of Ishtar. The, uh, Babylonian goddess of love and war or some shit. I got it when I was in high school. I was kind of a nerd back then, really into mythology."

She smiled, filling his glass before leaning back, "That's really cool. Explains the zodiac symbols."

He glanced down at his hand, where zodiac symbols stood out a heavy black against pale skin. He smiled, "Someone's observant."

"Watch out, Detective. I'm comin' for your job." She winked, taking another sip, moving a little closer to him on the couch.

He laughed, smiling at her. His eyes lingered on her a little longer than she expected, Quincy jumping off the couch and pawing off towards his doggie door. David spoke softly, "Come here."

She felt her heart skip. David had never asked for something like this before. And after the incident in the kitchen, she knew all too well where this could possibly go. She wasn't bothered by it, by any means. But David had seemed so reserved to her. This was definitely new. Good new. But definitely new.

She set her wine glass down, sliding across the couch and tucking herself up against him. Her body was pressed against his chest, her head lolling comfortably into the crook of his neck. He kicked his feet up onto her coffee table, resting one hand on her leg and throwing his other arm around the back of the couch. They both sat tensely for a moment, unsure how to act in this new position. David wasn't used to this kind of contact, unsure of what possessed him to initiate this. She smelled nice, like vanilla and lavender and something a little earthier. His heart rate accelerated, titling his head to rest his cheek on his captain's daughter's head. He couldn't help but acknowledge how dangerous this was.

_Whatever._

He brushed his fingers against her leg, the denim of her jeans worn and soft. She sighed softly, her body relaxing into his. She propped her feet up on the coffee table as well, touching her wool-socked toes to his own. Her hand found her way to his chest, drawing small circles with her fingertips. Her eyes strayed once again from the movie, looking down at the hand on her thigh. Her hand strayed as well, tracing over the simple black cross tattooed in the webbing between his thumb and pointer finger. David curled his finger over hers, pulling her fingers to intertwine with his. She pulled her fingers away from his, running her fingers in a blossoming-like motion from his palm up his fingers, pressing her hand against his. He gripped her fingers, pulling her closer to him. He leaned forward, ignoring the sounds of terror from the film in the background, touching his forehead to her own. "Jesus, you're beautiful," he whispered. Her heart soared, smile and letting out a breathy giggle. David brushed her hair back, resting his large head behind her head. Elizabeth leaned closer, feeling his hot breath on her face.

David almost expected the door bell to ring.

He let out a sharp breath through his nose, closing his eyes and trying his hardest not to scream. Fuck trick or treaters. Elizabeth stood up, her own eyes narrowed. For the second time she had been fucking cock blocked by children in costume. She glanced behind her, David readjusting on the couch; his legs spread out in front of him on the couch and his arm draped along the back of the couch. Good lord, he was so handsome. She had yet to see this more relaxed side of David, and so far, she was thoroughly enjoying it. She shuffled down the hallway, grabbing the plastic bowl of candy off the kitchen counter and pulling the door open, pushing Quincy back with her foot.

"Trick or treat!"

She smiled at the group of Avengers on her doorstep, again wishing another group of kids a happy Halloween. She heard David call Quincy, who abruptly stopped barking to turn and run towards him. David watched as she welcomed the kids with a smile, bending down to toss candy into their bags. He stood, Quincy jumping on the couch and settling into the hot spot David's body heat had created on the leather. Elizabeth had her back to him, setting the bowl down on the little table next to her door as she shut it behind her. David reached forward, locking the front door and flipping the entry way lights off. Elizabeth let out a soft, "Wha?", startled by David's sudden proximity. He wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her against him, her hands once again finding their way to his chest. She looked up at him, lips slightly parted, looking up at him from under thick lashes. He closed the distance between their lips, "I've wanted to do this for a while," he whispered, his lips crashing against hers. She immediately melted into his kiss, her body pressing against his. His hand found its way to her face, cupping her cheek and her lips moved against his. Elizabeth's head buzzed. His kiss was soft, gentle, taking his time to explore her lips. He broke away from her, resting his forehead against hers once more. They both laughed, not entirely sure of what was so funny. David knotted his finger with hers again, "Good birthday?"

She leaned forward to capture his lips once more, "Really good birthday."


	5. Lasagna

Elizabeth pulled her patients record out of the slot on the door, entering the small room to the teenage boy and his mother. He had come in about an hour ago, a bad tackle at football practice leaving him with what he thought was a broken ankle. They had finally brought him back to a room, the boy on the hospital bed and his mother sitting in a chair beside him. Elizabeth smiled, "Ralph?" The boy nodded, returning her smile through a mask of discomfort. "Hi, Ralph. My name is Elizabeth, I'm going to be your nurse this afternoon. Thanks for being so patient." She held her hand out for the mother, who shook it, introducing herself as Grace.

Elizabeth glanced back at the record, speaking as she washed her hands and gloved up, "Broken ankle huh? So on a scale of one to ten, one being no pain and ten being the worst pain you have ever felt, how would you rate your pain?"

Ralph winced as he adjusted himself on the bed, "A five? Yeah a five."

Elizabeth nodded, going on to take the boy's vitals. As she worked, Ralph relayed to story of how his injury came to be. She rolled up his pant leg, taking his ankle in her hands. It was already black and blue, swelling up. She gave in a gentle squeeze, feeling for any obvious signs of a fracture. Ralph smiled, wincing a bit when she squeezed too hard. "I'm so sorry! Does it hurt when I do that?"

Ralph nodded, "Yeah, it does," she apologized again, the boy then adding, "I like your scrubs by the way. One of my school's colors is yellow."

"Conyers High?"

"Yeah!"

She lowered his ankle back on the bed, smiling at the boy again, "That's my old school. I graduated in '04. Go Cougs,"

Ralph smiled, "Go Cougs."

Grace watched as the nurse took her son's blood pressure, "You're from around here?"

"I am," Elizabeth jotted notes down on the report, peeling her gloves off and tossing them in the waste basket, "My dad's the police captain here in town, my mom owns the flower shop down on 8th. I graduated in 2004, my brother in 2000, my sister in '97. I went to school in Philly though. I was working there until a few months ago. Glad to be back home though," Grace nodded. Elizabeth opened the door, tucking the clipboard the report was attached to under her arm and placing her hand under the hand sanitizing station on the wall and rubbing the foam over her hands. She put the report back into the slot, "Doctor Nicholas should be in with you shortly. If you need anything, the call button is right next to the bed."

She shut the door behind her, dragging her fingers through her hair. She pulled off the black headband, stray hairs falling in her face. She glanced at the digital clock above the nurses' station; 3:49pm. Her shift had started at 7 this morning, but twelve hour dragged on. She took a seat at the nurse's station, digging in her purse for a granola bar. Ralph was their only patient right now. The ER was slow and she and four other nurses sat idly by. Diana, a woman in her mid-forties who Elizabeth had grown fond of had the phone tucked under her ear, side glancing at Elizabeth when she took a bite from her snack. _It's for you,_ she mouthed, "Of course, ma'am, she's right here. Liz?"

Elizabeth reached for the phone, "This is Elizabeth."

"Hi honey! It's mom!"

Elizabeth rolled her eyes, her mother's cheerful Wisconsin accident chirping happily, "Mom, hi. Remember what I said about calling me at work?"

She could picture her mother using her _own_ business phone to call her whilst straying down tulips in her shop with a spray bottle. Karoline O'Malley was always a stubborn woman, "I know, you told me not to. But I tried your cell and you didn't answer."

"Because I'm at work, Mom."

"Well excuse your mother for wanting to talk to you!" there was a pause as Karoline shifted her phone from one ear to another, "Anyways, how are you? Tell me about this boy you're spending all of your time with,"

Elizabeth felt herself blush. It had been a week since David has kissed her, and they had been spending an increasing amount of time together. David would come to her place after work for dinner, staying into the late hours of the night. They would lay wrapped up in each other on the couch, Quincy in their laps as they talked, exchanging stories about their days and sharing little facts about themselves, sneaking a few kisses. She was really enjoying the time she was spending with him. "He's really sweet, Mom. You'd really like him. Now I have to-."

"So he works with your father, correct?"

"Yes, Mom. Can I call you once I get-?"

"The young detective kid Bob always bitches about?"

Elizabeth rolled her eyes, "Yes, Mother."

"Aw, well honey I'm so happy you're putting yourself out there again. I mean, you're 27. It's not like you are getting any younger and you're biological clock is ticking. You won't have that body for long."

Elizabeth leaned against the counter of the station, pounding a fist against her forehead, "Is there a point to this phone call?"

"Don't be shitty, Elizabeth Marie. There is. I want to meet this David character, and your sister is going to be in town and Heather has the kids so Anthony will be free tomorrow. Your father and I want you to bring that boy over for dinner tomorrow night so we can meet him," Karoline bubbled.

"Dad already knows him, Mom," Elizabeth's stomach churned at the thought of her sister, "And I don't know. It's a little early to expose him to you all, don't you think? And I don't really want to have to deal with Carol," Elizabeth trailed off, thinking of all the ways her family could embarrass her as an adult woman.

"You're not dealing with anyone Lizzy, she's your sister," _She's a bitch, _Elizabeth thought, "And if he knows Bob, he can sure as hell handle the rest of us. And I don't have many years left, Elizabeth, I'm going to die soon and it'll break my heart if you don't allow me to meet at least one guy who isn't a dick to you."

"Mom, you're 58. You're not dying any time soon."

"Can you stop being so damn difficult and bring the boy over, Elizabeth Marie."

Elizabeth pinched the bridge of her nose, inhaling deeply, "If I say yes will you stop calling me at work,"

"Well I can't promise tha-."

"If I say yes will you stop calling me at work."

"Elizabeth,"

"_Karoline_,"

Elizabeth could envision her mother pursing her lips. There was a short pause, "Fine. Be at the house at 8 tomorrow. And what are you wearing? I want to match."

"Bye, Mom. Love you." Elizabeth said, putting the mouth piece to the receiver. She rested her head in her hands, rubbing her temples. She loved her mother dearly, but holy shit.

Diana chuckled, clicking away at her keyboard, "Just wait until you turn into her."

Elizabeth fished through her purse for her cell phone, unlocking it, "I'm going to take a personal call really quick. Cover for me if anything happens?"

"Will do,"

Elizabeth pulled up David's number, stepping outside of the Emergency Room into the brisk cold. She brought her phone to her ear, it ringing twice before David answered.

"Detective Loki,"

"Nurse O'Malley,"

David chuckled, his laugh making Elizabeth smile, "Well hello. Aren't you at work?"

"Aren't you?"

"I am. Hey, can we make this quick, your old man is watching me. I swear, since we've starting spending time together it's like he hates me more than usual."

Elizabeth laughed, hugging herself, "Yeah, of course. Speaking of my dad, I have a huge favor to ask of you."

There was a pause of the other end, "What is it?" his tone was quizzical.

"My mother wants us to have dinner with her, my dad, and my brother and sister tomorrow night at their place. I know it's a lot to ask of you. You don't have to if you aren't comfortable with it."

"I don't know, is O'Malley going to be an asshole?"

Elizabeth laughed, "Probably."

"Will I get to see your baby pictures?"

"My mom will have them ready for you at the door."

"Tempting. However, I have one condition."

Elizabeth leaned up against the brick wall of the building, "And that condition is?"

"You make lasagna again tonight."

She rolled her eyes, "We had that Monday,"

"Then my answer is no. No lasagna, then I won't sit through the verbal abuse I get at the station through endless baby pictures tomorrow night."

Elizabeth grit her teeth, trying to hold back her smile. He was so fucking annoying. David had grown incredibly comfortable with her in the past week, and had proved to be a sarcastic jackass instead of the reserved persona he hid behind. "Fine, I'll make the fucking lasagna."

"Then we have a deal. Dinner with your dickhead of a father it is."

She rolled her eyes, giggling, "I'll see you at eight."

David chuckled, "See ya then."

* * *

Hello all!

I hate to leave you with yet another short chapter! But yet, I haven't had class the past two days, and my copy of Prisoners has been spinning around in my DVD player so needless to say, I've been feeling a little inspired. I hope you all enjoyed these new three chapters and please, leave me a review and let me know you're thoughts! Thank you so much for reading.

With love. -DCAGP


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